GOP budget likely means higher local taxes

You're getting squeezed - caught in the middle of a growing battle over making sure there are enough police officers, decent roads and good schools in your community.

In one corner, Ohio's Republican crusade to make our state more business friendly has resulted in another round of cuts to personal and business taxes and a small regressive sales tax increase.

If their plan works, Ohio's economy will create more jobs with employees paying their share of local and state taxes.

They just forget to tell you those local taxes will likely be higher, perhaps much higher.

The new two-year tax cut of $2.7 billion statewide comes on the heels of years of numerous income tax reductions, elimination of the state estate tax, the phaseout of Ohio's tangible property tax paid by businesses and massive cuts to Ohio's Local Government Fund.

Don't get us wrong. We know Ohio's taxes were once too high. The Great Recession made budget cuts mandatory a few years ago. And there's no doubt the business climate needed some help.

But we also know these dollars play a significant role in keeping police officers and other local government employees on the job, providing vital services.

These losses, in far too many cases, force local leaders to seek tax and fee increases as we see nearly every week in our local news coverage.

Even welcomed increases in school funding, following significant cuts in the last state budget, aren't keeping some school districts in the black.

Despite knowing this, Republicans are making local property tax levies more expensive.

Ohio will no longer subsidize local levies with two reductions for homeowners that in the past have totaled 12.5 percent.

Thus, every proposed property tax levy will cost you another $4.38 per year for every mill and $100,000 of property value.

Some Republicans admit it's a calculated ploy to make it tougher for local governments to pass levies. Their zeal to lower taxes apparently knows no end, even when it means local services will be compromised.

It's also hypocritical. These changes are saving the state money while the Republican budget increases overall state spending by a staggering 9.4 percent this year and 4.7 percent next year. Our local governments can't even dream of such spending increases.

It gets worse. Ohio has transferred about $1 billion to the state's rainy-day fund pushing its total to $1.48 billion. While setting funds aside for economic downturns makes good sense, doing so on the backs of local governments barely able to get by is flat out wrong.

Will these tax cuts save you money? Probably, but it's highly unlikely the impact will be as significant as promised.

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GOP budget likely means higher local taxes

You're getting squeezed ? caught in the middle of a growing battle over making sure there are enough police officers, decent roads and good schools in your community.